The Woodshop Shed

My Simple CNC Vacuum Table

Furnished content.
(from WoodNet.net)


Not much enthusiasm here for CNC stuff, but I'll kill a few electrons anyway to show the few who do have an interest with the vacuum table prototype I made.



It's 20 x 30 inches, and made for cheap plywood. The grid pattern is 1 x 1", 3/16" deep. The foam tape is just 1/4 x 1/4" weather stripping.The hole is the port for my Fein shopvac. It's amazing how much holding force this thing generates. I absolutely cannot move a piece of stock that covers the top. That might give those doing router, carving, etc work an idea on how they might hold their projects for unfettered access.

The gasket is what seals the workpiece to the table. For smaller work pieces, you install a gasket such that the workpiece covers the gasketed area.



This 10 x 10" piece also is held so tightly that I can't move it. My Fein vacuum generates about 3 psi of pressure, which means 300 lbs of force on that 10 x 10" area. No wonder I can't move it.



There is a size, however, where the surface area is so small that the holding force won't be enough to resist the cutting forces of the CNC bit. For those parts, I'll have to use my prior methods of clamps or tape and CA glue. I'm going to use this for awhile to see how well it fits my needs. If it works as well as I hope, I'll make one, or two or three that sit side by side, to cover the entire top of my CNC.

John

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